Doomheads

Doom Charts for September 2016

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, radio and podcasters and album reviewers from the doom-stoner underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom-sludge metal and stoner-psychedelic rock albums. The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below. This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

Fall is upon us here in the northern hemisphere as the blazing summer heat is winding down. That however, is no queue for the smoldering tunes hitting the streets this last month. The entire year seems to have been undergoing a similar trend month in and month out in the world of doom, stoner, sludge, and heavy psychedelic blues. Just when you think an album cannot possibly be topped another creeps in from the depths of the heavy to blow our minds. This months charts are here to present another round of notable albums to the attention of the dedicated purveyors of the heavy underground.

“Lock your doors, lock yours windows… If you have the ability to provide additional security devices please do so”…. Dopethrone return with a short but extremely satisfying EP in “1312”, spewing forth around 12 minutes of menacing, evil, filthy riffology. Sickening sludge heaviness, just more kick ass gear hot on the heels of their split with Fister, and easily up to the high standard they set for themselves on 2015’s “Hochelaga”. Join the hundreds on Bandcamp that have already picked this up, they’ve done so with very good reason. ~Clint (Hand of Doom Radio)

Like the plant they’re named after, Baby Woodrose unleash their new album, brimming with psychedelics like an astronaut on mushrooms peddling a unicycle through outer space! The Copenhagen 4-piece explode the scene letting ‘Freedom’ ring with a permafried mix of Monster Magnet meets Earthless on a tie-dyed arena touring with Uncle Acid. ~Bucky Brown (Ripple Music)

Holy Serpent return with a scorching 2nd album, ‘Temples’. In scenes reminiscent of the progression between the first and second albums from Elder you will bear witness to a band raising the stakes in crafting their own sound – heavy and oozing with melody, unexpected twists and surging riffs, searing wah soaked solos and that mile thick guitar tone has so much bite, incredible… The album seems to slow down and get heavier with each track. Penberthy’s vocals are out of this world, the icing on what is set to be an instant classic. Complex, yet so easy to listen to. And you will, again and again. Holy Serpent and Ridingeasy Records have some gold on their hands here \m/ ~Clint (Hand of Doom Radio)

EERIE’s debut album is being released on TeePee Records. Not the first label that comes to mind to release a Black Metal album. EERIE’s style of Black Metal is firmly rooted in Doom, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock and Stoner Rock at times. The album is more Doom Metal with shades of pure Black Metal being the main heartbeat of this album…

…The album may not seem very progressive from the first listen but with each repeated listen, you begin to hear many different ideas throughout the album. EERIE’s debut album is an exciting and often thrilling release that I want to hear more of in the future. Superb stuff. ~Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun)

Is it too early to end the year and name this a top release of 2016? This is seriously some great rock and roll. It has a bit of a heavy psych vibe to it sure to please just about anyone that lays their ears on it.~ Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer)

Debuting on the charts in a tie with Mountain Dust at #18 is the latest from Komatsu. Steve Howe reviewed the album in full at Outlaws of the Sun and summarized below.

Dutch Stoner Rock/Metallers – Komatsu make a welcome return with their new album, Recipe For Murder One. Newly signed to Argonauta Records, the album sees Komatsu with a more determined drive compared to their debut album….

Komatsu do experiment with their sound on certain songs though the atmosphere firmly remains in the Sludge/Stoner Rock world. The production is first-rate as Komatsu have violent and manic energy coming at you from every corner. The instrumental work is perhaps the strongest part of the albums with the vocals not too far behind……

Komatsu have released a stunning new album that not only builds on past sounds but also forges an exciting future for the band. Recipe For Murder One is a must have album. Plain and Simple. ~Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun)

“Future Echo Returns” is certainly my favorite Slomatics record, and in a year that has already seen some phenomenal releases its confidently staking its claim to sit alongside the likes of Conan, Slabdragger and Mantar as one of the albums of the year. ~Simon Ross Williams (Outlaws of the Sun)

Germany’s Naevus take the path of doom proudly trodden by the likes of Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus and their ilk and decorate its borders with touches of old school heavy metal and Swedish style retro hard/stoner rock. Warmly fuzzed guitar riffs and solos sit atop tight, solid drum and bass pulses coated with slightly nasal, but totally effective, vocals, giving the bands overall sound a slightly laid back sabbathian groove that should go down well fans of both The Sword and Orchid as well as those that like their doom a little more on the traditional side. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

These Polish instrumentalists are back with 3 tracks of massive doom hymns. Major Kong do not piss around with quiet atmospherics or calm passages – this is heavy, fuzzed up guitar playing that wants to get your head nodding while invoking the animal spirits and sonic sounds of Sleep and Earthless. In case I have not pleaded their case enough, we are talking about riffs, more riffs and huge riffs. ~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)

It would be a complete injustice if a band of KROH’s undeniable quality were to be tagged as just another FFOBR band, ok they are female fronted and the music they play does have an occult vibe but they are so far removed from being blues rock it’s laughable. Oliwia Sobieszek’s sultry tones soar majestically over a backdrop of raw distorted riffage and heavy pounding rhythm creating a groove that, apart from the quaint Polish folk of the first track “Krzyżu Święty”, is akin to standing at the business end of a Lear jet while song thrushes fly overhead. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

Seven tracks of psychedelic doom offer a heavy and groove ridden alternative to being Sabbath clones. Drums and bass pound out a majestic, brutal springboard for the guitar to spew busts of solos out as riffs born from the Devil are laid down with apocalyptic abandon. This is their second album and it should start to cement them more firmly onto the stoner/doom map. ~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)

Drenched in a languid, dream-like haze, Sydney’s DAWN have an EP of pure alchemy forged gold on their hands. Rhythmic shades of OM in places, bursts of phasered fuzz in others, and ice cool vocals fading in and out of the misty riffs and splashing cymbals. In terms of pace DAWN keep it in low gear throughout, which will no doubt very much appeal to all fans of the ‘tune low, play slow’ gravity inducing mantra. Highly recommended listening! ~Clint (Hand of Doom Radio)

Holy god damn shit!?!?! Wicked down-tuned doomy fuzz with epic vocal arrangements and dynamic stoner hooks that penetrate deep within the psyche. This EP is better than most LPs I’ve heard all year. Like Steve said, this deserves to be heard on wax. Favorite track: Quest for Freedom. ~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

Slightly schizophrenic but highly enjoyable “No Rapture” shows a band who are not gonna be tied down to one specific genre or sub-genre, a band who wear their diversity like a badge of honor, saying to the world this is what we do …deal with it Check ’em out. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

Howling Giant are still blowing our minds with their new EP. Stay tuned as there are two more chapters of this saga. Its a ripper.

Howling Giant put the country music capital on the map with their new EP. Its’ killer Anti-Country musical content is space-y psychedelia that fuels this heavy ship’s trek across the expanse of the Rock-o-sphere…Rocketing across the interstellar airways on a stellar path of massive grooves, ones fueled by the thrust of the ever-powerful riff and its incendiary combustion, Howling Giant make themselves heard throughout the cosmos on these four out-of-this-world tracks. ~Dragon (Metal Nexus)

In their fifth studio album, titled V (Fuzzorama Records and Century Media Records), Truckfighters continue this evolutionary path through (to my opinion) their more mature release. Nevertheless, this album deserves more than a listening and It should be listened carefully and with a mind free from judgments and prejudices….

…To be honest, it took me a very long long time to metabolize this new work of Truckfighters, as it is unlike anything you would expect from the band. To my opinion it represents the most mature and complete album released so far by the fuzzy Swedish trio, where does not shine only a single characterizing element as in some other past productions. In this work we perceive the care with which Truckfighters have rewritten some of their paradigms (e.g. the obsessive use of fuzz that has always distinguished their sound) in a more structured way. ~Outlaws of the Sun

There is no denying that Brant Bjork is the coolest guy in modern rock n’ roll. Born in the heat of Southern California, the Low Desert Punks are back with a bluesy affair of classic rock riffs and playa encrusted jams. Veering from the patented funk-laden groove of his early material ‘Tao of the Devil’ present a fresh side of Brant angling more towards the heavy blues, littered with extended jams and savory riffs. Tao re-invigorates the band a step further than the impressive Black Power Flower. Reeferized riffs, dust devil hooks, and retrofied solos dominate on the new one. Napalm Records needs bands like this to maintain their diverse roster. Brant Bjork has graced the rock n’ roll podium once again. ~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

Haunted are an aptly named stoner doom band from Italy with haunting female vocals . It’s not surprising they made the charts on their debut album . There brand of doom has broad appeal with touches of sludge , psychedelia, stoner , and occultic vibes . It is dark and eerie from start to finish. ~Papa Paul (Doomed & Stoned)

Beelzefuzz review beelzefuzz sophomore album is a lesson in retro seventies acid rock . They run the whole gauntlet of what made the seventies great . Classic riffs, doomy bass lines, searing leads, a healthy dose of psychedelia. Then there’s the vocals. This is one of the great vocal performances since the seventies. ~Papa Paul (Doomed & Stoned)

It’s heeeerre octopus and company have created a legend ! ACID DOOM ! Perfection achieved? How can you be sooooo heavy, yet so smooooth? Organ driven old blood doom, I mean old school, or do I? Old Blood Doom!!!!!! A new genre is born! ~Papa Paul (Doomed & Stoned)

Stealing the show this month with a total of 545 points (ya we base these on a point system) is Wretch. Check out what local fan Melissa of Doomed & Stoned has to say.

The biggest difference you’ll find between The Gates of Slumber and Wretch is that the days of swords and sorcery from those great Gates records are gone but has been replaced with the grim reality of life and death. Possibly still mourning the death of The Gates of Slumber Jason McCash, many listeners will notice influence and atmosphere comparable to Saint Vitus. Of course there is more than just doom and gloom, there are a few surprises to be found in these gems. Moments of 70’s blues, even an obscure Judas Priest cover. I don’t want to give it all away, so go listen for yourself! Doom and heavy metal fans alike agree that the debut from Wretch is one we’ll be listening to for years. ~Melissa (Doomed & Stoned)

I want to express my thanks as well. I’m sure it must be a bit of an onerous task to compile this list every month but I anticipate it and certainly enjoy it every time the calendar rolls forward. I’ve discovered and bought many great albums as a result. Please keep up the great work. Thanks again!